Testimony will resume Wednesday in the attempted murder and sexual assault trial of War Machine, a former MMA fighter accused of attacking his porn star girlfriend and the man he caught her in bed with.
The girlfriend, Christine Mackinday, known professionally as “Christy Mack” in the adult film industry, previously testified that War Machine threatened to kill her multiple times and ultimately brutally attacked her, at times threatening her with a kitchen knife. Corey Thomas, the other victim of the attack, testified that he was also threatened and beaten by War Machine.
War Machine, formerly known as Johnathan Koppenhaver, changed his legal name to avoid a potential trademark dispute.
The defense is currently pressing its case. On Tuesday, day seven of the trial, the defense called fighter Herman Terrado, who had trained and sparred with War Machine. He testified to the difference between submission holds and choke holds, and even left the witness stand to demonstrate the various holds on defense attorney Brandon Sua, who is also a trained fighter. On cross-examination by the state, Terrado agreed, however, that a review of the testimony of victim Corey Thomas suggested that War Machine had placed Thomas in a so-called “back naked” choke hold during the alleged attack, not a submission hold. Terrado testified that War Machine could render a victim unconscious after two to three minutes, though it was possible for some people, even those who were not fully trained as fighters, to escape his hold.
The defense also called its private investigator to the stand, who testified to collecting photos and measurements from the scene.
The defense called another witness who requested not to be identified; thus, LawNewz.com and the LawNewz Network were unable to record her testimony. The witness testified that War Machine was having back trouble due to sciatica in early 2014, received massage work and at least one epidural injection, and at one point could not walk in the months leading up to the alleged attack.
Mackinday’s mother, Erin, testified at the close of the state’s case on day six of the trial that she witnessed increasing episodes of violence between her daughter and War Machine. When asked if she regretted not calling the police after what she described as the initial attacks, the mother instead said, “no . . . I wish I would have shot you!” while appearing to look directly at the defendant.
Erin Mackinday also testified about a phone conversation she had with War Machine on the night of the alleged August 8, 2014 attack. War Machine had said that he and Mack “got into a fight and I had to beat her up,” Mackinday said.
Mack previously testified that she did not have any elective cosmetic surgeries in tandem with the attack she described.
Testimony is scheduled to resume at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 12:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, on Wednesday, March 15, Day 8 of the trial. Jury instructions will be given in the morning.